Grant Me A Wish

by Amanda Adair

  “I like it,” Sage says. “Let’s do this.”

  chapter 3

  I lean against Remi’s black Volvo, stare at Horace Blake’s huge wooden entrance door and wait for him to finally get out of that building. What does he do in there? Invent the automobile? Write a bestseller novel? Come up with the lyrics for a new Billie Eilish song? What the hell, Remi? He wasn’t there during lunch today and now he’s making me stand here like a loser while everyone else is driving home. Did I mention that I’m not only overly curious but impatient? I hate waiting for other people. People who can’t look at their watch and hurry. I can’t believe he’s doing that to me. I breathe out when I see him walking down the stairs.

  “Hey, babe,” Remi says, puts his hands on my hips and kisses me. His lips taste like mint. I love mint. I kiss him back.

  “Let’s go,” I say as I step back.

  I became his girlfriend, or he became my boyfriend, two years ago. He’s the captain of the football team, I’m the captain of the lacrosse team. We’re the power couple at school. The cheerleaders at this high school aren’t the most popular girls because we’re not an average high school.

  The girls’ lacrosse team is a winning team, that’s why all eyes are on us and all funding goes to our team. And football’s football, so it’s important for everybody in town. Remi’s good at it but sometimes I think he’s only in the football team because people expect him to. Because his friends are football players. Because his brother was on the team many years ago. It’s his legacy.

  “What have you been up to today?,” he asks as we walk to his car. “Anything happened?”

  “Had classes obviously,” I say. “I’m not at school for fun.”

  “You’re mad at me?,” he asks. How dare he ask me that?

  “Are you seriously asking me if I’m mad?,” I say but then I remind myself to calm down. He doesn’t like girls who constantly create drama and overreact because of minor incidences. He just didn’t make a big deal out of our reunion today. That’s it. I don’t like it but it’s not that bad. It’s not a crime. “I’m good, I just wanted to see you this morning. We haven’t seen each other in ages.”

  “There was something I had to take care of,” he says and gets in the car. “And we’ve seen each other via FaceTime.”

  I’ve seen girls whose boyfriends open doors for them. Remi does that when there’s any entrance door, and he happens to be in front of me, but he never opens a car door for me. Maybe he doesn’t do it on purpose. Maybe he thinks, I’ve opened the door for myself, I might as well keep it open, so my girlfriend can enter, too. It’s not his duty. I’m not saying he has to do it. I’m just sometimes thinking about these other girls and their boyfriends who seem to be more aware of how to keep a girl.

  In the beginning it was all perfect. He gave me flowers almost every day but then he just stopped doing things like that. I get flowers for my birthdays and that’s it. It’s the little things that keep a relationship going.

  Whatever.

  “It’s not the same,” I argue. “But I hope you enjoyed your trip to San Diego.”

  He sent me photos of the beach, their hotel and the breakfast buffet.

  “I did,” he says. “Robert stayed for only a couple of days, but I still know a few people down there, so I didn’t have to spend all day with my parents.”

  “Sounds great,” I say. “Maybe we should go there together sometime.” He doesn’t react to my proposal. I want to talk to him about the two new students, but I know he is not into gossip, so I simply say, “our clique has a new plus-one.”

  Obviously the original plus-one was Sage. That’s how I call it when someone new enters our group. Sage lost her status and was promoted. Not every plus-one finally gets in. Sometimes it just isn’t a match.

  “Plus-one?,” he asks and raises an eyebrow. He does that when he’s not interested or thinks I’m making things up.

  “Tansy,” I say. “She’s new, and we’re checking her out, just to make sure she’s cool enough to hang out with us. She was homeschooled and she lives nearby but she doesn’t know anyone. Isn’t that strange? How can you live here, be averagely pretty and not know anyone, or be known?”

  She isn’t averagely pretty.

  She’s one of the prettiest girls at school now. I pause. He stopped listening. And I don’t think he’s driving in the right direction. It’s a short drive to my house but to my surprise were not driving to my house.

  “Where are we heading?,” I ask.

  “I thought you want to hang out with Sofia,” he says, looking at me surprised. “And I wanna meet your cousin. You tell me so much about her. I’ve never met her.”

  He probably forgot, but he did meet Sofia once at one of my family’s dinners. It was a while ago, so I don’t blame him. I would’ve forgotten it, too.

  “Sofia’s with Sage and the others,” I say. “I guess she’s at home by now, or maybe they’re at a coffee shop or the library.”

  “No.” He sounds certain. “They’re at my house. My brother’s invited them.”

  Why doesn’t anyone tell me? How does he know where my cousin and best friends are when I don’t? I look at my phone, just to realize Sofia texted me.

  We’re at Remi’s

  Wanna come?

  Did Remi show up?

  Of course, Remi showed up. And by the way, since when does she ask me if I want to come? I should be the one asking her since those girls are my friends and she’s as new as the mysterious Tansy Walsh.

  “Don’t tell me Robert wants to date my cousin now,” I say annoyed. “She’s not into those kind of boys. He doesn’t have to try.”

  “You know Robert,” he says. “He’s gonna try at least. He may not be her type but she’s hot.”

  I could be offended that my boyfriend calls another girl, my cousin to be exact, hot. But we look alike and that makes it less offensive. I don’t mind at all. I know she’s a hottie. My aunt Katherine is so pretty as well. Despite her age. Even our granny looks bomb.

  After some more minutes we arrive at Remi’s house. His brother Robert is about a year older than him. He’s in college, so I don’t know why he’s in Seneca and not in New Haven.

  “Hey,” I say when we walk into the living room. They’re all sitting in a circle on the ground. Sage, Finna, Sofia, Cristina, Remi’s brother Robert, and Tansy Walsh. Doesn’t she know anyone else at this school?

  “There you are, Arden,” Tansy says.

  “Aspen,” I correct her. Did no one tell her what my name is? They must’ve talked about me. My girls always ask where I am. Maybe Tansy wasn’t listening. “What’s going on here?”

  “Now that you’re here, this is officially the first meeting of our Halloween party committee,” Sage says proudly and raises her glass. It looks like water with ice cubes, but it is for sure a self-made cocktail.

  “Cheers,” Sofia says.

  “Cheers,” Finna repeats. She’s drunk. I can see it from across the room.

  I want to sit down between Sofia and Tansy but there isn’t enough space, so I sit down next to Cristina. This time Remi behaves like a flagship boyfriend and sits down behind me, wrapping his arms around my body. I love it when he does that. It feels safe and warm.

  “What’s that?,” I ask looking at Sage.

  “This?“ Again, she raises her glass. “It’s a self-made mojito. Tansy brought the alcohol.”

  “Cool,” I say. They had time to prepare mojitos? Without me?

  “You want some?,” Robert asks.

  Of course, he’s sitting next to my cousin. He’s one of those boys who made out with most girls in town, and probably with most girls at his university. Not with me, not with any of my friends, but some girl always falls into his trap. I will have to warn Sofia. I didn’t know he’s in Seneca until Remi told me.

  I nod, and he hands me a glass. I haven’t had actual glasses in a while. Did they run out of red cups?

  “Tansy,” I suddenly say. “Where do
you live again? In Cherokee, right? Or did you move here?” Everyone looks at me surprised. It’s because I sound like a detective eager to find out more about a killer I’m interrogating. I try to be more relaxed. “I mean doesn’t it take forever to get to school?”

  “It’s okay,” she says, “I drive for half an hour.”

  I bet she’s wearing contacts. Her eyes don’t look special, they’re just really green and bright.

  “Relax, Aspen,” Remi says. “Just have another drink.”

  I didn’t realize my cocktail’s empty. I was really thirsty. I always am when I’m a little stressed. I don’t even know why I’m stressed. Remi asks Sofia to refill my glass. There are two decanters standing next to the sofa.

  “We haven’t met yet,” he says. “I’m Remi.”

  “Trust me, I know all about you,” Sofia says and winks at me. “How was California?”

  “Great,” he says. “I learned to surf.”

  He didn’t tell me that.

  “I want to as well,” she says. “Wow.”

  “I can show you,” he says. “But anyways, how do you like Seneca?” He makes some weird move with his arm. His mobility is a little limited because of my body leaning onto his. “How do you both like Seneca.”

  “It’s basically the same as Cherokee,” Tansy says and all of them laugh.

  “For me this is very different from any place I’ve ever lived,” Sofia says. “I’m glad I’m here. I don’t even know what kind of high school diploma you get in the Philippines.”

  “Philippines?,” Tansy asks in surprise.

  “My parents live there now,” she replies, but I guess she sees the confusion in Tansy’s face. “For a year.”

  “Cool,” Robert says. “I would join them.”

  We all finish one more mojito, talk about pregnant teachers and what’s happened during summer, and listen to Billie Eilish and rap songs that seem to be new on Spotify. When Robert and Remi go outside for a moment, and Tansy goes to the bathroom, I turn towards Sofia.

  “Where did you meet Robert?,” I ask.

  “At school,” she says. “He said we could come around.”

  “And Tansy?,” I want to know.

  “She walked past me, so I asked her to join us,” she says. “I thought you wanted to check her out.” She leans back and against the sofa.

  “Yeah,” I say and get up.

  I walk towards the bathroom and wait in front of the door. I’ve stayed at Remi’s house many times. It feels like being home.

  As the door opens Tansy looks surprised. “Hey,” she says.

  “Hi,” I say. “Everything’s okay?”

  “I’m good,” she says. “I didn’t drink that much. Did you like the mojitos?”

  I nod. “Your recipe?”

  “Google,” she says and laughs.

  In the bathroom I stare at my reflection in the mirror above the basin. I don’t even have to go to the toilet. What am I doing here? I unlock the door and walk back to the living room. Robert and Remi are back, and they all sit down on the carpet.

  “Guys,” Tansy says and gets up as soon as I sit down next between Remi and Sofia. With her skinny jeans and lace shirt it’s obvious how perfect her figure is. She looks amazing. “Sofia and I want to play a game. Are you in?”

  “A game?,” Robert asks. “Truth or dare?”

  “Boring,” I say because I don’t want him to kiss or make out with Sofia. He would just forget about her and return to New Haven. He isn’t worth her time. Sometimes I wonder if Remi is. What if he’s like his brother? I try not to think about it. Brothers can be similar but there are so many examples where they’re complete opposites. Damon and Stefan, Sam and Dean, Randall and Kevin. I really spend too much time watching series.

  “Truth or dare doesn’t make sense for a Halloween party committee, does it?,” Cris says. I love her sharp answers.

  “We don’t need to play a scary game,” Finna says. She looks scared already. This whole Halloween party committee thing isn’t for her.

  “Why not?,” Robert says. “I can dare you to spend the night in the cellar. Alone.”

  Robert and Remi don’t look like brothers. Robert has dark hair, Remi looks like a beach boy with his blonde hair. Robert only had short affairs so far, Remi’s been my boyfriend for two years. Maybe they don’t share the same father. Officially they do. It’s just a guess. Their mother isn’t as innocent as she looks.

  “Tansy told me about a game she played at summer camp,” Sofia interrupts Robert’s attempt at flirting and looks at Cris.

  Why the hell are they so close? Sofia is supposed to sit next to me now. Wasn’t that what we were so excited about? Spending a lot of time together? All day. Maybe I shouldn’t have made her check out the new girl. She doesn’t seem to have any problems finding friends on her own.

  “Okay, what game?,” Remi asks. “I have to warn you, I don’t do childish games.”

  “It isn’t childish,” she says. “Promise.”

  chapter 4

  I roll my eyes when Tansy asks Robert and Remi for candles. Does she want us to do a séance? Play with the Ouija board? Do one of those cruel game where you have to touch the flame? I’ve seen it all. I know how stupid drunk people can be and what dumb things they’re able to come up with. Things they label as games. I’ve done some stupid things myself, but I would never hurt anyone. Not on purpose. I should just convince them to play truth or dare.

  I look up. Meanwhile it is dark outside. Outside the window I can see the beautiful starry sky, all clear and bright.

  “My mom might have some,” Robert says, gets up and disappears in the kitchen.

  “What game is it, Tansy?,” I ask as soon as Robert returns and hands her a pack of cream white candles, then he turns off the ceiling light.

  “Thanks,” she says to him and smiles.

  “I guess I’m gonna be the game leader since none of you have played this before,” she says and lights the candles in front of us.

  Again, we’re sitting in a circle. Robert walks around behind me, then he turns off the light and sits down.

  “I need some more mozzarella sticks first,” Cristina says.

  She’s almost as drunk as Finna and Remi now. He keeps touching my waist and thighs. Finna grabs a couple of mozzarella sticks and offers them to all of us. I take one because I’m really hungry right now. I didn’t have dinner. None of us did.

  “Okay, I need someone to lay down in the middle of our circle,” Tansy continues after she finishes eating one of the cheese sticks. “I’m the seer, so I’m gonna tell you what could lie ahead of you. The legend has it that if you continue the game and become a seer yourself with your own players, the more positive vision will come true.” Tansy stares at the candle light. “Amaris’ game goes back to a young girl whose sister was about to die, so she prayed to god every night that he may show mercy and heal her sister. After her sister only got sicker and sicker she begged Satan to help her out. They then made a pact, so that he heals her sister on condition that she finds other people with desires who are willing to make a pact with Satan. If she fails to find others her sister and her parents are going to die.” She looks around. “Any volunteers?”

  For a moment it’s quiet.

  “Satan,” Robert repeats. “Deep.”

  “Me, I can do it,” Finna says, “but I need some pizza rolls. I’m starving.”

  “I’ll help you,” I say to Finna and follow her to the kitchen.

  There is a cupboard full of sweet and salty snacks. My parents wouldn’t allow this. We never have any snacks at home, except when we have guests over. I grab a pack of pizza rolls, open it, and we put them into the oven.

  “Does it take long?,” Finna asks and takes my hand, so we can walk back to the others. “I’m so hungry, Aspen.”

  “I know. Just a few minutes,” I tell her. “When you’re busy being the victim of Tansy’s game I can go get them, don’t worry.”

  We both laugh, then
return to the others.

  “Do you think I shouldn’t volunteer?,” she asks. She always sounds so dumb when she’s drunk, like a child sometimes that doesn’t know anything about the world.

  I shake my head. Back in the living room Finna lays down in the middle.

  “Close your eyes,” Tansy instructs her.

  She closes her eyes. Her blue skirt is a little too short, so I bet Cristina, who sits in front of Finna’s feet, can see her underwear. But it’s dark, so probably not. The candles stand next to her arms and head. In case one of us trips over them she’ll burn off and die. Why do I think about this today? I don’t want to be a party pooper, so I just keep quiet about it.

  Tansy closes her eyes, too, and says, “repeat after me. All of you.”

  The candle light shines on her face from below.

  Amaris, queen of blood and death.

  Her voice is loud but melodic. We repeat her words, but I have to hold back my laughter.

  Wherever you are,

  be my guest

  and grant me a wish

  or drag me to the abyss.

  I shiver as a I cold breeze hits my neck and shoulders. The wind lets the candle light tremble. Sofia looks at me, then gets up and closes the window next to the sofa. I watch her walk past Tansy who still has her eyes closed. She pauses her weird performance. Only when Sofia sits down again she continues.

  “Finna O’Connor,” Tansy says. “Repeat my words.”

  “Grant me a wish,” Finna repeats with her shaky and weak voice, “or drag me to the abyss. What abyss?”

  “Shh,” Tansy makes.

  The game is my prison

  and I play to be freed.

  I see how Tansy is putting her hands onto Finna’s shoulders. Suddenly she looks up, directly into my eyes.

  “Everyone close their eyes,” she says without averting her gaze from me. Are her eyes greener this time? Darker? It must be the alcohol that’s causing hallucinations. Tansy looks around to make sure everybody’s closed their eyes. Then she begins her story.